Blackblade Epilogue 4 - Do You Want to Have a Child?
It was mid-morning in Gaivoutna. The weather was calm and sunny, and it was shaping up to be a rather beautiful spring day. The villagers were going cheerfully about their business; it had been a few years since the new treaty with the hobgoblins, and its effects were slowly starting to become noticeable. Everyone seemed less on edge, more settled, more at peace. The tradesmen were less harried to produce weapons, less worried about losing their furs and ores to raids. They plied their trades calmly, almost cheerfully. Suddenly, in the center of the craftsmen's circle, an outlandishly-dressed elf with rainbow hair, a brown human man wearing loose-fitting clothes, a black pony, and a small green drake appeared without warning. The brown man huddled against the cold, despite it being actually quite warm for the area; his face made it clear he was not pleased. The drake coiled around him protectively, looking about at the Gaivoutnans. He mumbled something under his breath, and it looked as though the drake murmured something back. "Oh, hush to the both of you," the elf said flippantly. "Good morning!" he called over to the nearest shell-shocked blacksmith. "Is this Gaivoutna?" "...Yes..." he replied, unable to fully understand quite what he was looking at. "Marvellous! Now, might I enquire: is there a lady by the name of Ara Lilivale about, by any chance?" "...Uh...you...yes?" he offered. "Perfection!" He gave two sharp claps with his hands and made a small motion of dismissal. Immediately, the pony and drake both doubled in size. "Point me in the right direction, good sir!" Eyes wide, it was all the man could do to hold out a finger in the direction of Lilivale's house. Ridley strode off purposefully, "Come along, Kirsikka, we have business!" He gestured widely to the villagers and added, "and could someone get my companion a coat or something?" Yomiel, scowling, held himself tighter and leaned up against Maroar. The day ceased to be peaceful. ---- The weather was perfect for getting things done, and on her small farm on the edge of town, Lilivale was determined to do as much as possible; the weather in these parts could be notoriously fickle and it wouldn't do to waste a day like this inside. At the moment, the order of business was marking the new crop of kids: at this time of year, it could be so easy to loose track of them. She quietly wove her way amongst her flock, making her way towards one of the smallest goats. Sidling up next to it, she caught hold of it in one smooth motion, sliced three small notches in one ear and released it. As she straightened and surveyed the flock, looking for her next subject, the entire herd froze and stared towards the road before scattering in the opposite direction. She threw up her hands, an exasperated sigh escaping her lips as she turned to see what fool had decided to chance her wrath this morning. As she caught sight of him, she decided "fool" might have been too kind of a word. It was an elf, of all things, marching up her path as though he had no care in the world. His hair could only be described as ridiculous, a bright mishmash of colours floofed up like a cockatoo, and though his clothes didn't match what she remembered as the Riolythan style, the outlandishness of the colour schemes and cuts of the fabric would certainly fit in there. A black mare trotted obediently behind him without needing to be led, somehow underscoring the absurdity of his general bearing. Ridley strode up to the fence that lined her property and stopped, leaning over the gate. He grinned cheerfully and waved. "Good morning!" he called over. "Ara, I presume? Lilivale? Lils? I think I'll call you Lils." "No." The scowl clouding her face would make a thundercloud seem cheerful. When Ridley opened his mouth to say something, she spoke over him, "Whatever it is. No." "Oh come now, I haven't even said anything yet," he said as he made a plaintive sort of gesture. His chipper mood seemed to be utterly and completely unfazed by her attitude, and he continued to smile pleasantly. Slowly, she crossed her arms over her chest, eyes narrowing dangerously, "And I'd rather keep it that way. Do us both a favour and turn your skinny little ass around and head back to wherever it is you came from, m'kay?" Ridley's eyes took on a more confrontational vaneer, but his voice remained sweet. "Oh, but I only just got here. Shame to leave so quick; I haven't even gotten a chance to meet you yet. Besides, I brought you your son's things. And horse! Though I've been led to believe it wasn't technically his to begin with." At this, her eyes flashed angrily, flinging one arm out to point back down the way he had come, she snapped, "Get!" when he did not immediately respond, she strode towards him menacingly. "Get off my land, now. I want exactly nothing ''to do with you, or that animal, or anything else you've brought with you. We're done here." "Dearie me, you're short-tempered. Did I catch you at a bad time or something? Do you have a better time for me to come back? Because I'll be straight with you, sweetheart, I'm going to keep coming back." Ridley was utterly unfazed by the display of aggression; he neither backed off nor backed down, and continued leaning on the fence smiling. "Is this even your land? I'm not past the fence yet, so I'm not sure you have an arguement." Stopping at the fence, she glared daggers at him and practically spat, "If I say it's my land, there isn't a soul here that'll dispute it, and if I have to send you packing with a few extra holes over it, there isn't anyone who'll say boo about that either. But here, I'll be generous, seeing as you're so adamant about having a chat," a blatantly maufactured saccharine note entered her tone, "what is it that you've come all the way out here for, dear sir? If you've made this trek just to drop off the horse and gear, I'm afraid you took a wrong turn somewhere back in town." Ridley, resting his chin on the back of his hand, elbow on the fence, replied with a sarcastic frown and mock sadness, "Ooh...boo." He smiled and continued, "The belongings were just a side note," he waved dismissally, "I kept forgetting to drop them off, and I'm rather fond of my pony friend there, but I figured I'd be polite and return them since I was coming here anyways. No, why I'm here today is because I would like to discuss the two of us having a child." "Is this your idea of a joke?" she stared at him incredulously, her expression taking on an almost hurt cast. Her tone was icy as she continued, "Please, kindly take your horse, and fuck off. We are done here." "Unfortunately, we aren't. Not quite yet, hear me out," he added quickly, holding up his hand. Lilivale had already begun to turn to leave, but at this she stopped, eyeing him coldly. He spoke rapidly, not letting her interrupt, but gravity stayed in his voice. "I want a child. I want to actually raise one. Teach them, help them, watch them grow up. A while ago, I wouldn't have ever thought I'd say that, but hey, here we are. I've watched enough human kids grow up that I want to be there from the start, I guess. But that's the trick, isn't it? I can't just have a kid with a random human. I can't watch a child, my child, grow up and die before I get a grey hair, I know I can't. I have enough issues with kids I randomly meet. And I'm not going to raise a kid in Riolythe. You don't live there, so you know exactly why I won't. So, my options? Pretty limited. But don't think I'm here just because you're an elf, I'm not that desperate. I knew your son, he was a good man. So I know you're a good mother. I don't want anything from you other than that. I'm not going to marry you, or live with you, or Mothers' forbid, make you go anywhere. I just want a good mother, to help me have a good child, that will live, and learn, and grow, and when we both die, will still be around being better than both of us at whatever they've decided to be good at." He put up both his hands and took a half bow, stepping away from the fence. His posture was submissive, but his eyes still proclaimed his self-assuredness; he was being polite, not backing down. "Think about it." She stood studying him in silence for a long while after he finished speaking, her expression inscrutable. Eventually she took a deep breath and looked away, "It's going to take a hell of a lot more than that to convince me...what was it that you said your name was? I decided I was done having children years ago; I've already buried ten, and that is quite enough for me. But I will think about it, I suppose it's only fair I do that much." He smiled again, this time his expression less snake-like than perhaps it was before. "Trust me, I am doing and will do everything in my power to assure that I'm buried long before them. My name is Ridley; I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. Now that I've said my piece, I will fuck off, if you'd rather, and you can go back to your day." She repeated his name thoughtfully, staring absently into the middle distance for a moment before nodding abruptly. "Yes," she looked down at the knife still in her hand, spinning it slowly, "Yes, I have plenty that needs doing before the day is out." She paused, her eyes returning to his face. "You can come by in the evening, tomorrow, or in a few days, and we'll talk." Ridley replied, "I'll come back tomorrow evening then. I'm sure you have more than enough to consider for today, and I'd hate to intrude on your daily schedule. I've heard farming is rather harsh in terms of time commitment. Until then," he bowed, "thank you for your hospitality, and I hope we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement." He smiled again and turned about; with a clicking noise to Kirsikka, he strode off down the path, the horse contentedly trailing behind. ---- "So...you're telling me that there's a grumpy fellow with a...dragon? In the middle of town...? And he came out of nowhere? With an elf...who has gone to see Mother...? So, apparently, has a deathwish or something? And you want me to do....something about this? I have this correct, yes?" Kai rubbed at his temple as the blacksmith nodded meekly in reply. "I honestly don't know ''what it is you think I'm going to be able to do about it..." as he continued, he began pulling his coat on, "but fine, let's go see what we can work out. Shall we?" Pulling on his hat as he stepped out the door, he cast a wistful look over his shoulder, muttering, "So much for breakfast..." Kai walked to the central square, where the blacksmith had told him to go. Before him was, indeed, a full-grown mountain drake. They almost never came this far north, and usually they were highly aggressive to people, but there it was, curled up in an almost protective position. As Kai neared, he saw what it was protecting: a dark-skinned man, looking to be in his early-to-mid twenties, huddled up to its side looking exceptionally grouchy. Kai observed him for a few minutes from a distance: the man seemed to glare off into nowhere, not actually addressing or acknowledging anyone. He huddled and periodically rubbed his hands; upon closer inspection, he looked to be more profoundly uncomfortable than actually angry. The drake, on the other hand, was highly intent: it didn't appear to be angry, but its head roved about systematically, watching from all sides and growling at anyone who appeared to make sudden movements or approaches. It was obviously protecting the man. Interesting, that someone had tamed a drake so thoroughly. In the meantime, the villagers had formed a sort of perimeter of frightened curiousity: no one wanted to be out in the open, but they certainly wanted a front-row viewing seat, so people's faces poked out of doorways and from behind wagons and benches. Kai took up position amongst the villagers for a few moments, taking stock of the pair before him. It appeared that someone had taken it upon themselves to furnish the man with a rather ostentatious fur cloak, yet he still seemed bothered by the temperature. For as long as he watched, neither of them did anything more. Eventually, he stepped forward, stopping a few paces out of the drake's reach, "Good morning, sir! That's....uh...quite the companion you've got there." A small, bemused smile played about his lips, "Now, I'm going to be perfectly honest with you...my good countrymen have asked me to do something about you and your friend. The middle of the marketplace is perhaps not the ideal location for a drake; I'm sure you understand. May I ask what brings you to our humble village?" He studied the stranger closely as he waited for a response, his expression open and amicable. Yomiel's eyes flicked towards him, his face inscrutable. He stood silently for a few seconds, then looked down and mumbled something unintelligible from behind the collar of his shirt. Kai leaned forward, and asked for a pardon. The drake, who had turned about and had his full attention on the speaker, spoke clearly, though in the reptilian language, "We're visiting. We visit places to learn things." He gave a snort, "This place is too cold though. We only came because the elfboss told us to." Maroar began to peer about again, "And there's too many people looking. We don't like it." As Maroar spoke, Yomiel turned his gaze back to Kai, this time his gaze obviously judging him, probably to see whether the half-elf could comprehend the drake's words. As Maroar began to speak, Kai looked inquiringly towards the drake, an expression of recognition dawning after a few moments as he realized that the language was one he knew. He smiled broadly, "Travelling scholars! That's something I can get on board with." He cast his gaze about in tandem with the drake, taking in the continually expanding crowd, "Please excuse their poor manners, it isn't often we get visitors, particularily those from distant lands." He paused, considering both newcomers closely in turn, "I'll tell you what...I was just about to make breakfast, would you care to join me? We can have a chat, and I might be able to point you in the right direction; I wager you've learned all you care to about the marketplace, at this point. At the very least, you'll be away from all these eyes and out of the...cold." Maroar turned and looked at Yomiel. The two mumbled to each other for a minute, then Yomiel began to walk towards Kai, the drake following beside. He approached and made a gesture with his eyes that suggested that the half-elf should lead on. Offering a small nod of acquiesence he turned and headed back the way he came, the other villagers quickly making way. As they walked, he chattered away, his tone conversational, "We don't have terribly far to go. Now, I don't believe I caught your names, I'm Kai. And you mentioned you came with a friend? What business might he have around these parts? I heard he went to see mother about something." Yomiel muttered a mostly audible, "Yomiel." With a gesture, he added, "Maroar. Elf is Ridley." With that, he hunkered down again. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, both of you!" he flashed the pair a brilliant smile. Maroar added in his own language, "Elfboss wants a hatchling. He needs a woman, but he didn't like any of the ones in his old flock. He heard there was a woman up here, so he wanted to court and nest her. We came because he told us to; said that we should see north land. We should 'get out of the nest', he said." The northman winced at this, a note of concern entering his voice, "Oh...oh dear. You're quite serious about that?" he pursed his lips for a moment before sighing, "Here's hoping this friend of yours has a good helping of sense and tact. And that she's not in the worst mood." He stopped walking for a moment and looked over his shoulder, towards the opposite end of the town, "Do you wager we ought to go bail him out? She can be rather...volatile. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt..." Yomiel made a snorting noise, and Maroar made a sound that could only be laughter. "No one hurts Elfboss," he said plainly. "He's as bad," Yomiel mumbled. "No sense...overwhelming nonsense. No tact...overwhelming ignorance. He gets what he wants because you can't tell him no." He glanced over to where Kai looked. "I don't feel like watching. He won't kill her, and I doubt she can kill him. He won't leave. Waste of our time standing in the cold watching them squabble." He added something inaudibly under his breath. Maroar nodded, "I want breakfast too." A disbelieving laugh escaped the half-elf's lips, "Talk about having your priorities straight! I'll take your word on it for now, maybe I'll swing by later and make sure they're both in one piece." Shaking his head, a bemused smile playing around his lips he started walking again. "Please forgive my ignorance, Maroar, was it? But what exactly would someone such as yourself be interested in for breakfast? I mean, you are welcome to whatever I come up with, but I must be honest, I've never met a drake before, is there something you'd prefer?" It wasn't long before they left Gaivounta itself, following a rather informal dirt road through windswept pastureland. As they passed, a flock of sheep looked up from their grazing and, taking in the strange sight before them, ran bleating to a more comfortable distance. After a short time, the half-elf turned and lead them down pathway to a decidedly grandiose house. From the adjacent field, a delicate, iron grey horse turned their way and whinnied a greeting. "Hrmm...leafy trees are better," he replied, looking about. "You only have needle ones. Are there cedar?" he said the last word in a heavily-accented Common, rather than Reptilian. "Reptile is a simple language. Not enough words," Yomiel explained. "He eats trees. Any you want removed?" "Trees eh? Hmm..." He considered this for a moment, "Well, we certainly have no shortage of trees around here, but you are quite right, conifers seem to be predominant. I honestly don't know if there are any cedar trees though...I think we might be a bit north of their range. You are by all means welcome to have a look, help yourself to whatever trees you like; they wont be missed." Maroar looked to his partner, who nodded. With a grin of sorts, Maroar stretched out his wings and, with a mighty push, took off into the sky. Yomiel, after watching him leave, stopped and looked at the mansion of a lodge. He blinked a few times, considering it, then commented, "The house the deck made." At this, Kai stopped as well, casting the man an inquisitive glance, "What was that?" Yomiel gestured with his head towards the house. "No other houses like that. Northman pulled a card from the magic deck; built him a huge house. Must be it. Did it come from nowhere?" "You knew Caelan..." he looked back towards the house, nodding, "A magic deck of cards, was it? That must have really been something. Where does one find something like that?" As he spoke, he began walking again, gesturing for Yomiel to follow him. Yomiel followed behind. "Cave in the mountains. Ridley has it now. Don't suggest playing with it though." He muttered something inaudibly, grousing about the cold. "Hmm...intriuging. What took you folks to the mountains? And together, no less? And you say this Ridley fellow has the deck; was he with you as well, when you drew cards? Is that where you met Maroar? Did you-" Questions tumbled out of him in an excited stream before he cut himself off, after a short pause, he continued more measuredly, "I apologize, please excuse me. You don't have to answer all of those, or even any of them. I let my curiosity get away with me." As he spoke he opened the door and stood aside to allow Yomiel to enter, offering to take his coat. "A stupid Yetoman. Yes. Yes. Yes," he replied dispassionately as he entered. He stood inside for a minute, testing the warmth, before deciding that it was warm enough to take off the coat. He passed it over to Kai and stood to one side, waiting to be led further in. "Fascinating...hmm hmmm..." He hung Yomiel's coat up, followed by his own hat and coat, then promptly pulled off his boots and socks, tossing them in a heap by the door before beckoning the other man to follow. "We shall perhaps have a chat about that later; I would be very interested to hear about what a trip accross the Seldarins is actually like. But first, breakfast." he lead the way through a series of hallways towards the back of the house, "Now, I was actually just getting started on a frittata. I was thinking rabbit, with brie and cranberry; how does that sound to you though? Would something else be preferable?" He pushed open the door to a rather large, yet cozy kitchen. "Don't...care..." he started in his surly fashion, but seemed to almost forget what he was saying as he entered the kitchen. He smelled at the air before looking back at Kai. "You're an actual cook," he said, almost with incredulity. "Almost forgotten...years since real cooking..." he muttered as he looked off with a vague desperation and longing. In the midst of tying his long hair back under a bandana he'd picked up from the counter, Kai paused, then smiled, "Oh, I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that; I'm no professional, it's just something of a hobby of mine." Taking an apron from the hook on the wall, he guestured for Yomiel to have a seat at the small table against one wall, continuing as he tied it on and moved to begin pulling his tools and ingredients from the cupboards. "I met a fellow years ago, when I was studying in Asanon. He was a brilliant ''chef, working in this little dive of a resturaunt next door to where I was staying. He clearly had the talent to be working in one of those big fancy hotels, or even a noble's house, but he said he couldn't stand the atmosphere of those places, so there he was, running his little place in Kalleandar's West End. Anyhow, I spent a lot of time around there, and eventually asked him if he might be willing to teach me a thing or two, and he was plenty obliging. It was good fun, and I figure I learned a lot, although not half as much as he knew." As he spoke, his hands were in constant motion, chopping leeks, cracking eggs, mixing ingredients. "But enough about that. It sounds to me like you appreciate good food; I'm sorry to hear that you've seemingly not been able to find any in some time. I'd imagine it must be difficult to find the time if you're always traveling...what a shame." He shook his head, "Your friend mentioned earlier that you're travelling scholars of sorts. Is there a topic in particular that you are studying, some specific interest? Or do you just take it as it comes? And this Ridley chap, is he a scholar also?" Yomiel sat quietly and watched. When he heard the last question he gave a snorting sort of laugh. "No. A thug, a liar, a thief, a dealer." He made a sort of conceding face and added, "Not a bad person. I study everything. Mostly...history. Magic. Science. Current events." "Well, he certainly sounds like an interesting sort." Pouring the concoction he had produced into a baking dish, Kai placed it in the oven and checked the time before turning to lean against the counter. "A well-rounded set of topics, to be sure. If you're interested, I could take you to speak with the Keeper of Stories; she's the one to talk to if you want to learn the history of Gaivounta. Or I could try to answer any questions you might have," he shrugged "but that's entirely up to you." He stopped and looked at Yomiel thoughtfully, smiling gently, "You really don't say much, do you?" Yomiel made a 'mmph' sound and hunched, looking grumpily at the floor. "Prefer reading," he mumbled nearly inaudibly. At this, Kai looked taken aback, and hurriedly apologized, "No no, I didn't mean to offend. I'm really sorry. I was just ...it's really quite alright, really. I've been told I talk enough for five people; I can get a bit carried away...you're rather quiet, so I was worried it was making you uncomfortable. Feel free to speak up if you are. Otherwise, if you don't mind listening, that suits me fine, or else I can find you something to read...we unfortunately don't have any libraries here, but I'm certain I could dig something up..." He trailed off, looking a bit uncertain. "Everyone's always talking. Rather listen." He still looked surly, though not at Kai in particular. When Kai didn't start talking immediately, Yomiel's gaze flicked over to him. His expression didn't change, but he said, "Keep talking. I'm listening." "Alright," he looked thoughtful for a moment, "I really ought to take you to meet the Keeper of Stories, Elder Lehtola, she's an interesting lady. Must be getting up into her 90's by now, but still as sharp as could be." As he talked, he turned and began taking dishes out of the cupboards and setting the table. "She remembers everything, and I do mean everything. I don't know how much you've travelled the Northlands; have you been this way before? But anyhow, in most of the tribes, we keep oral traditions, and there is usually one Elder responsible for remembering it all. I mean, everyone learns the stories and histories and such, so it's not like that Elder is the ''only ''person who remembers these things, but they're the one who knows ''all of them. At any rate, she's been around forever, and she knows some things. Started off rangering when she was young and apparently was quite a tracker in her day..." Kai continued to chatter away as the food cooked, moving from talking about the Elder, on to the merits of goats as livestock, and finally to comparing varieties of cheese as he pulled the frittata out of the oven and sliced some to top it with. Dishing up a slice for each of them, he joined Yomiel at the table, sitting down across from him "...so while you could really use any sort of cheese, I personally like reindeer for this sort of thing. I find the richness really complements the dish, and acts as a foil for the tartness of the cranberries." Yomiel, who had been sitting quietly the whole time, though obviously enjoying the smells eminating from the oven, picked up his fork wordlessly and took a bite of the dish that had been set in front of him. Though he remained quiet, his face became blank, and he suddenly became very noticably engrossed in the food. It did not take long for him to finish his serving, after which he had a very odd expression that appeared to be a mix of contentment, embarassment, engrossment and surprise. When Kai regarded him, he mumbled out, "That was really good." This elicited a rather hearty laugh from the other man, "I'm glad you enjoyed it! There's plenty left, and you're welcome to as much as you like; would you like another piece?" Chuckling once more at Yomiel's decidedly enthusiastic assent, he moved to dish him up another slice. Yomiel ate with a relish, showing the first signs of a positive emotion since arriving in the town. Though he didn't speak much, he gave short answers when Kai asked him things directly, and by the end of breakfast began asking a few things himself, though somewhat limited to topics involving spices. For his part, Kai was more than happy to ramble, bouncing between all sorts of topics, but always finding a way to ask an unobtrusive question or two of Yomiel, more often than not inquiring about something relating to the journey that had taken him through the mountains. As the morning wore on, talk gradually turned to that of lunch, and it was decided that a moose-meat chili would be just the thing. ---- It was after sunset, late enough to be after dinner, but not quite early enough for bed. Ridley strolled towards Lilivale's home, figuring that this was the best time to not interrupt or intrude on anything in particular. Kirsikka had stayed in the fields around Kai's mansion, so he walked alone, his pace fast but not hurried, as usual. He hopped over the fence easily, choosing not to open the gate. He had opened a gate in Yeto once, and had to spend several hours chasing animals; he tended not to open them anymore. Walking up to the door, he rapped his knuckles against it sharply and stood respectably. The door swung open almost instantaneously, revealing a young woman with a wealth of golden curls, wearing only one boot. Without a word, she looked him up and down, before calling over her shoulder, "Ma! Some funky looking dude is at the door!" As she pulled on her other boot, a reply of "You can let him in." issued from within the house. Shrugging, she stepped aside and guestured for him to go in, calling back. "Okay. I'm heading out to feed, and whatnot; I'll be back in a while!" With that she stepped past Ridley and started across the yard, immediately joined by a black goat wearing a bell around its neck. "Well, isn't that just adorably quaint?" he mumbled to himself as he entered the house. He took a few steps in and looked about. "Good evening," he called into the house. "I hope this isn't a bad time." From where he stood, Ridley could see into what appeared to be the main room of the small house, where Lilivale sat embroidering the hem of a tunic. "Not at all. Close the door behind you." She glanced up briefly from her embroidery. "You can sit." Ridley closed the door and politely sat down. He kept an even, pleasant expression, but didn't begin to speak. Lilivale continued with her work for some time as if she were alone in the room, eventually she spoke, "Well, go on. Convince me." Her tone was conversational, but an icy undertone lurked within it. "You got my attention before, but that's about it. So convince me why I should care that you want a child. That I should give one sweet damn about you and what you want at all. Try and make me feel that a stranger like you is worth that sort of sacrifice; that you have even half of an understanding of what your proposition actually means." Her needle darted in and out of the fabric, her eyes never leaving her work. Ridley leaned back slowly, making an 'oooh' sound. "This is a tough one," he stated, his expression becoming more serious. "Hmm," he rubbed his fingertips together thoughtfully. "See, you don't want things. Convincing is easy, if something is wanted, but you...you don't want to be bothered. Don't want to be hurt. Don't want to be controlled," he shrugged his eyebrows, "Though I could be projecting on that one. I sincerely doubt that there's anything I could say now that would convince you, someone who so strongly doesn't want something, otherwise. Sweet talking, bribing, cajoling, begging...that will fall on tired ears who want nothing to do with the argument entirely." He sat quietly and drummed his fingers together a few times, then continued, "It would be easy if there was something you did want, something simple. But there isn't. So there is no simple answer, no simple two-minute shpiel I could give to make you change your mind. Now, most people would give up there, or still try to give a simple answer and hope that it would be enough. I won't, because it won't work. Now, I return to you with this: I want a child. I want to raise someone who will outdo me, outlast me. I want to care for someone that won't fade away like a human does. I want that...and I want freedom. I want that without a wife, or a society, telling me what I or the child should be. I know what my proposition means. Should you care what I want? No. Am I worth sacrifice? Oh, certainly no. But it's not about me, or you really. It's about the child. Are they worth it? I would bet on it. Now, can you convince me otherwise? Can you make me think that I don't actually want to be a parent, or that you honestly, with every fibre of your being, want nothing to do with this child? This baby, an elf, born outside of Riolythe, never having to be raised there or be controlled by the people there. An elf that would really be completely free of it." He shook his head, "You can't. Not quickly. Not simply." He dragged his finger down the arm of the chair, "We're both too stubborn for this to be fast." "Oh, I never said any of this had to be fast or simple. Frankly, nothing about this will be either; it can't be. " She sighed and sat down her embroidery, leaning back in her chair. "You have a lovely dream, I'll give you that. And I will admit that the thought of having a child, a full elf who could potentially outlive me is a bit intriguing. But I honestly don't believe that you do know what you're asking. To be fair though, I suppose I shouldn't fault you for that; how could you?" She asked almost rhetorically, then paused for a moment before changing tack. "Let's start easy then. Tell me who the hell you are, and what you're about. Because frankly, nothing I've seen or heard so far makes me remotely interested in having a child with you. So, let's have a proper introduction." He gave a small grin, "Cor Rhederodendron. Terrible name, I try to avoid it." With that, Ridley began to talk. Category:Banishment of the Blackblades